The Internal Revenue Service says some of the lost data from Lois Lerner's computer might be recoverable after all, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Lerner was the chief of the division which allegedly targeted conservative groups over their tax-exempt status. The hard drive of her computer failed, taking with it two years worth of her correspondence. GOP-led congressional investigators, working for two separate House committees, were told that backup tapes had been recycled.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a congressional hearing Wednesday that the IRS inspector general is trying to establish whether, in fact, any data is recoverable, according to the Journal.

"We made a commitment to the IG that we would honor his priority, that we would not do anything that would interfere with his investigation," Koskinen said. "He could talk to anybody he wanted, they could look at any evidence they wanted. And we would not have an ongoing discussion with any of the witnesses he was talking to because we did not want to interfere," The Hill reported.

Democrats have complained that Congress spent too much to investigate the IRS. Republicans have said that the data could have gone missing as part of a cover-up.

Lerner's attorney said she played no role in the lost emails which were said to be unrecoverable since her computer crashed in 2011. The hard drive was either recycled or shredded. The IRS had said that backup tapes also could not be salvaged.

Now, the search for the missing emails has resumed as backup tapes are again scrutinized to determine if the data presumed lost is retrievable after all, the Journal reported.